Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is planning to sign two sweeping education bills into law today — one that will create the nation’s most expansive school voucher program, another aimed at expanding charter schools. During a talk yesterday at the American Enterprise Institute, Daniels said that no longer will Indiana “incarcerate[Read More…]
Parental Choice
Let who we empower define public education
Last Friday, I participated in a panel discussion in South Florida on the challenges facing public school administrators, and I was joined by Karen Aronowitz, the president of the United Teachers of Dade. I always enjoy talking with Karen, but we have divergent definitions of public education which lead us[Read More…]
A defense of Scott Walker and universal choice from an unlikely source
In today’s Wall Street Journal, John O. Norquist, a former Democratic mayor of Milwaukee, defends an effort from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to eliminate the income threshold regulating entry to the Milwaukee voucher program, which currently is open only to low-income students. The threshold has had the effect, Norquist writes, “of isolating low-income students[Read More…]
Parent Revolution should empower parents with all options
It is wonderful to see the leaders of the Parent Revolution receive this recognition in the Wall Street Journal. I have admired their work from afar, and I had the pleasure of sitting on a panel last year with the group’s founder, Ben Austin. They have done amazing work organizing low-income parents[Read More…]
Blowing up boundaries in Michigan
It’s taken a Republican governor in Michigan to propose what the Democratic Party could not. Rick Snyder wants to lead the way to a truly public school system, one that recognizes no artificial boundaries and doesn’t care whether you’re rich enough to buy a home near the best school. In a plan[Read More…]
Indiana’s expansive voucher bill heads to governor’s desk
From the Evansville Courier & Press: INDIANAPOLIS — Two key planks of Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels’ education reform platform cleared their final legislative hurdles Wednesday and are now headed to the Republican governor’s desk. The Indiana House of Representatives approved measures Wednesday afternoon that would ease the process of opening[Read More…]
Black, Hispanic legislators urge caution in expanding Milwaukee voucher
Members of the Wisconsin Legislature’s Black and Latino Caucus wrote Gov. Scott Walker and legislative leaders recently expressing concern that “outside forces and ideology will dominate this discussion” over the proposed expansion of the Milwaukee voucher program. In particular, the members have called for maintaining the accountability standards governing the Milwaukee Parental[Read More…]
Another voice for a parents union
This week, RiShawn Biddle’s Dropout Nation features a plea from Gwen Samuel, the president of the Connecticut Parents Union, for families to demand greater accountability and choices for their children’s education. Just as Ben Austin’s California parents union has organized families to essentially take over a failing school, Samuel is[Read More…]